Nicely spotted, Betty - and ta! Yes, the avatar is the finalized version. I'd been a fan of Scott's for about 5 years, ever since an interview with him was published in an American magazine I was writing for (Geek Monthly). He had these insanely cool pictures of Japanese monsters reclining in hotsprings, and ninja warriors cast as army ants.

Definitely worthwhile investigating his artwork for its own sake - the man has a zany, hilarious sense of humour as well.

Two mileposts

Yesterday was one of those days that reminds me that progress does happen. The first video review, unsolicited, for S.T. showed up on youtube. The review was enigmatic, but honest, and it came in at 4 stars.

Also, on my WIP, I hit the 50% marker on the first draft. This book is being presented chapter by chapter to a newly formed workshop of four experienced writers, so a fair amount of re-thinking and polishing gets done. With any luck, when the first draft is finished it will be wa-a-a-ay further along than my average first draft (I just typed "first daft," which was an unusually revealing Freudian slip), as I tend to be a six or seven draft writer.

Congrats Window Bar... exciting when you get some feedback from others, especially if it is random.

I have a form of progress. Managed to get myself into a Collins Book store for a signing in July (reasonably big store here in Aus)... planned it for the school holidays (as my novel is a YA fantasy novel) so exciting stuff. Will be able to take a photo of my book in a book store...

As for dafts Sometimes it feels like you read the same thing again and again, you're happy then someone looks over your shoulder for a mere moment and points out a missing word or spelling mistake that you've missed... I don't count my drafts any more. I hand write... then I type it up (which I fix as I go so would be a second), then I print, read / scribble / adjust... then back to typing... it's a circle up until it's ready.

I don't count my drafts any more. I hand write... then I type it up (which I fix as I go so would be a second), then I print, read / scribble / adjust... then back to typing... it's a circle up until it's ready.

Good luck.

Thanks. And yes, the notion of numbering one's drafts is hopelessly old-fashioned. In the era of the word processor I make at least one change any and every time I look at my work

Waiting for school is over so I can start hammering out them chapters. I have like 3 pages because my head is still pounding from Friday, and it's sunday now.

Today I found an old poem and touched it up:

On a day in the spring, when the bell towers ring,
Many vile a patron gave rout
To the queen and the king, and the squires that sing,
In the courtyards and gardens about.

Many bishops and pawns were left dead on the lawn,
And what glory their murderers quaffed!
As the evening drew on, and the night turned to dawn,
All those killers drank richly and laughed.

But they never quite left from those courtyards bereft,
And they donned all those corsets of gold.
By ambrosia they slept; all those soldiers they kept,
Who did just as those murderers told.

On a day in the fall, from the ramparts and walls,
Many vile a patron gave rout
To those killers of gall in their crystalline halls
In the courtyards and gardens about.

Inspired by a particular King Crimson song.

While I'm at it, I was happy with this paragraph:

At present, I reside in a personalized commune for government officials just north of the western swamps. It is a grid-like array of square and stately abodes, about four stories high on flatland, on whom the marsh’s dew has fallen in the dead of night. The lamplight through the fog remains, in addition to those perpendicular streets, which run between a total of eight buildings. Their décor resembles that of the high-like and humble of fashion, classical and pale, rich besides in brazen sunlight. The plots stand three-by-three, at the center of which resides a square with a fountain, where one might endeavor to recline and partake in adventures of the intellect.

Awarded a Silver Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future contest. Have the certificate framed on the wall.

Co-Author and I finally have our website finished and "Live ". You can check my profile for the URL if you're interested in a YA Crossover, near-future, dystopic, cyberpunky, Urban Fantasy.

Just got the proof galleys from our publisher and we're poring over them, finding an embarrassing amount of errors and bad sentences. And we went over this thing a millions times and there's TWO of us! I now forgive and salute all those heroes who do the whole thing on thier own without a publisher or editor!

Anyway, a few months away from "finishing" the umpteenth revision of a crime novel that recived over a hundred rejections. After that timeto work on the YA seque,l and then, finally, after years of world-building, I'll be ready to start on my Epic Fantasy.

I've been waiting too much. Waiting for a contract to be finalized on the one hand. Waiting for local beta readers to read the hard copy of my latest before I dig into editing and rewriting again on the other hand.

Today I decided to add one more 'hand'. I started on a new WIP (for those of you who follow, it's the 3rd Sharpe story) today. I got to 400 words.

At long last, another story of mine is available to read in Crossed Genres, available in print or ebook form. Here in Return to Impact, a tired old warrior gets a last chance to save her people in an unexpected way... enjoy the story!

While the outlawed mage is not only guilty, but indeed proud of the majority of the charges against him, murder is not one that he seems to be laying claim too. None-the-less, for the first time Brand fears the wrath of the law when Grand Judge Ausjeure the Pristine is dispatched to bring the magically-inclined ruffian to justice. But will Brand go quietly?

Plug 2:

Somewhere a bell tolls amongst ancient ruins. Some say it's a sign from Hexen herself, the once great magical city that fell to the siege of a hundred years of war, leaving only a prophecy etched into the city walls. One day, the forlorn city would rise again...

...But until that day, Brand the Vile-Tongued was wanted for murder, one of which the outlaw claims he didn't commit. Yet he was plenty proud and even bragged of the slew of crimes that he was charged with before. Now the dark mage ruffian claims to have no knowledge of who has frame him or why...

But he is certain that it has something to do with the forbidden city of Hexen.

I am sitting here with my dog, doing a re-write on my second book...going well, wish that I didn't have to go to work later, could get more done at home!
Oh, and I have a book club with 200 members looking into making my book one of their summer reads! Can't wait to see what they say!

Just cracked through a problem that's been stalling me for a week on my W.I.P. (thereby managing to keep it from becoming an R.I.P.), by using a thought-merge viewpoint. Quirky, so I'll withhold any judgment as to whether or not the quality is any good.

Also, though it took fourteen months, my ebook that's 'out there' broke through 20,000 downloads, which was my goal at the outset. (Nope, not all paid, doggonit--but enough are).

Lastly, the new weekly writers' group (formed in February) is functioning well, and it keeps all three of us on task. We started with five... but you lose some, you lose some.